1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of shutters. More particularly, the present invention relates to an interface mechanism for interfacing a louver to a stile of a shutter system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacturing of shutter systems, a standard component used in the industry for interfacing a louver 12 to a stile 14 is shown in FIG. 8.
Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 8, there is shown at 10 a one piece nylon part which is used for interfacing the louver 12 to the stile 14 of the shutter system. The one piece nylon part 10 comprises a cylindrical distal portion 11 with a distal end 13, a proximal portion 15 with a proximal sharp tip end 16, and a circular washer 17 integrally connected between the distal portion 11 and the proximal portion 15. The sharp tip end 16 of the nylon part 10 is driven into the louver 12, where the proximal portion 15 is embedded therein. The distal portion 11 is installed within an aperture 18 drilled in the stile 14 such that the distal portion 11 rides rotatably within the aperture 18, where the circular washer 17 is located between the louver 12 and stile 14, thereby providing space for the louver to rotate in the traditional manner.
The disadvantage with the standard nylon part 10 is that the distal portion 11 rotates within the aperture 18 of the stile 14 as the louver 12 is rotated vertically. Eventually the interface between the distal portion 11 of the nylon part 10 and the aperture 18 of the louver 12 becomes "polished" (the aperture gets larger), and thereby the louver 12 has a tendency to droop after a period of time after it has been in use. It is therefore desirable to have a new interface mechanism, with which the manufacturer can avoid this significant disadvantage.